Homegrown Dulce Rojo Paprika!

The deer left me six dulce rojo paprika peppers by harvest time last fall. I’ve had them sitting in my kitchen, drying, for months now, and I finally decided that tonight was the night I’d put them through my spice grinder and turn them into a delicious spice.

I unintentionally made “pink paprika” by also including some seeds and ribs of the peppers — those inside bits can be hard to shake out of a dry pepper sometimes. Perhaps next time, I’ll slice them in half and remove the ribs and seeds before I dry them…?

At any rate, it definitely has a distinct smell and taste about it, and it’s just a little different from any store-bought paprika I’ve tried. I hadn’t been planning to buy any more seeds for this year’s garden, but I might have to try some different pepper varieties now.

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day: October 2017

Monday morning finally, finally felt like autumn here in Zone 6. We’ve been enjoying an extension of the summer weather, mostly… although my garden has been looking like it’s just about done for a while now.

Honestly, I’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ when it comes to my garden this year. I remember that I’d decided this spring that, come fall, I wanted to plant some crocus sativus — the kind that produces saffron — but I never got around to ordering them, and I’m certainly not in the mood to plant them.

I need to take a day or three off work and do some serious weeding, on top of the usual fall cleanup. I haven’t been weeding regularly since midsummer, and it’s obvious. I just feel… overwhelmed.

My main goal has been to make my borders low-maintenance, and this is exactly why. I don’t need this stuff getting away from me for a couple weeks, and then me just giving up on it for the rest of the season.

There are a few bright spots amongst the Bermuda grass and the weeds and the overgrown ground cover, though.

For once, I’ve left a stand of Passion flower long enough for it to fruit. I’m not even sure if I have the yellow or the purple variety, but I’ll find out soon!

GBBD October 2017: Passion Fruit
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